FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, has congratulated the University of New England on receiving $50,000 in Commonwealth funding for a grant to lead a world class teaching and learning project.

Mr Joyce welcomed the Government’s announcement of $5.8 million in funding for the higher education sector as part of its commitment to promoting excellence in learning and teaching.

The UNE, working collaboratively with other Australian universities, will use the grant to develop resources for pre-service teachers to enhance their online teaching skills.

This is part of the second round of grants recipients in 2014 under the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) grants programme.

“This funding will see the UNE continue to play a leading role in one of Australia’s biggest growth sectors,” Mr Joyce said.

“These great projects will work towards making our universities globally competitive and the envy of other countries.”

“With multiple institutions involved in the projects, we will see the grants having a national impact,” he said.

“This particular grant will mean that graduating primary and secondary level teachers will be better positioned to respond to new virtual formats for schooling.

“These investments will also help many institutions embrace Asian markets, and design courses over multiple platforms so that students both domestic and international can have their university offerings tailored to their needs.

For information on how to apply for the 2015 round, see www.olt.gov.au